Quick & Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip

I recently had visit with a special request that I genuinely wanted to fulfill. After going out to dinner, upon my return home I had only minutes to prepare a stopping by guest's spinach artichoke dip. Now I know you can go almost anywhere and buy then dip but I prefer mine over anything store bought. So stubborn me taught an impromptu lesson to my mother-in-law on how to make my dip and it got rave reviews!

What you need: 

2 packages of cream cheese 

1 cup Parmesan cheese 

1 frozen package of spinach, thawed

2 cans of artichoke hearts, chopped 

1 tsp of minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste 

How to make it: 

Combine all the ingredients in a medium pan over medium/high heat. Stir regularly until it all melts and blends. If it gets too too sticky, add 1/2 cup of chicken broth and some more seasoning. Voila! 

How easy is that? The whole price should take less than 15 minutes. I like to serve mine with veggies or tortilla chips but crackers and pita make for a good dipping option a well. For some calorie saving I use 1/3 less fat cheese. 

There you have it, enjoy!!! 

Happy Paczki Day!

It's Fat Tuesday, the last chance to pack in your fatty sins before the Lent season. Here in Michigan, Hamtramack is packed with gluttonous paczki lovers. Because today is the last shot to indulge in the deep fried, sugar filled (and topped) pastry. Apparently, the Midwest is about as far as this tradition goes, so here's some fun facts of paczki day to share!

1- First off, they're delicious. Mostly because their deep fried dough balls filled with some arrangement of sugar. Filling flavors vary from fruit to custard. Unless you're a hipster, their rose hip infused Packzi are the just the tip of the new age iceberg. They're also traditionally topped with powdered sugar or icing. But the secret ingredient however is spiritus. That's right, your paczki are drunk on whiskey to keep them light and fluffy!

2 - Paczki is actually the plural form. Paczek is the singular form for the "doughnut" or "little package". (How cute is that?!) Furthermore, the word "paczkis" should never exist!

3 - Paczki have been around since the Middle Ages. At that point they were savory and filled with animal lard. The French advanced the recipe. But it was the Polish that made them what we love today. Funny thing about that is, they made them light, sweet and decadent as a prevention for waste during the lent season. 

4 - Lovers have made a sport of it. Like many other beloved foods, there have been paczki eating contests. The record is currently held by a Hamtramack man, Don Gentile, who ate 22 paczki in 10 mins. If that doesn't turn your stomach, think about the 11,000 calorie count!!! 

5 - Packzi Day is more popular than you'd think. From the outside, where maybe you haven't heard of this holiday, it seems rare. However, Detroit, Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Windsor are just some of the mid west cities that celebrate by the thousands. Chicago loves paczki so much they celebrate Fat Tuesday and the more traditional Polish Fat Thursday with festivals!   

If you are unfortunate enough to not live in a paczki populated area here's But Bobby Flay's recipe for you: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/polish-pre-lenten-jelly-doughnuts-paczki-recipe.html#! 

But, if you can, find a bakery because the professionals are simply magic! 

How Zombies and Babies Are Alike!

My excitement as at a high peak with the impending arrival of tonight's mid season premiere of The Walking Dead. For months I have replaying Beth's untimely cliff hanging demise in my head as I've been caring for my 9 month old. The more recap marathons we've watched, the more abundantly clear it has become to me that zombies and babies are very similar beings. Let me illustrate how: 

1. They're pale. Let's start with the obvious, they both need a tan. Zombies have a lack of blood flow after turning which has left their lifeless bodies lackluster white. Babies can't go in the sun because their fresh skin is too delicate, thus leaving them pasty.

2. They walk like drunk people. Babies are clearly not drunk but rather lacking fine motor skills as their tiny bodies grow. Zombies, may or may not have been drunk when they turned, but something about becoming lifeless has left them unable to walk upright or in a straight line. 

3. Their "speech" is undecipherable. Having lost all brain function has zombies unable to formulate words. Babies on the other hand don't know how to say words yet, so they often just grunt. In either case, they both make noise that is equally as moan like as it impossible to understand.

4. They don't discriminate what they out in their mouths. A zombie's quest for blood and a baby's undeveloped taste buds leave a plethora of victims in their wake. People, pets and (most recently from my son) lint from a garbage are no match for these two. If they can grab it, it goes in their mouth. Watch out for teething babies though, those suckers are sharp! 

5. They are disease ridden. Some, if not all, zombies carry a disease. I mean, they're undead, they didn't just wake up that way. One passes it to another, to another and before you know it, they're all infected. No herd immunity there. Babies on the other hand seem to be magnets for disgusting. They're constantly sharing their runny noses on the playground and if your kid is in daycare, forget about it... Just lick their little fingers and succumb to the strep throat now. 

6. They're unaffected by injury. How many times have you seen a zombie shot in movie just to see it get back up? It's crazy, just like watching my son stand up and fall flat on his face, time and time again, just to get back up. This kid has fallen off the couch, been stepped on by the dog and face planted a wall in pursuit of walking, unscathed. Apparently, they are rubber and we are the glue. 

Watch this clip, hilarious! http://youtu.be/Zohqw7RTeSQ 

7. They react to lights and sounds. Since zombies are dead so they rely on theses signals to attract them to their food. When seeing light or hearing loud sounds, they react by hunting, hoping to find some delectable flesh. Babies LOVE lights and sounds. As their senses develop the more flashy the lights or energetic the sounds, the more likely a baby is to react with playfulness. If you want to hide from a zombie or your baby, move slowly and quietly in a dark room. 

There you have it, how I have noticed my son is like that if the undead! 

Moving Fun!

Finally some fun news..... we moved! And just in the nick of time too cause we got snowed in our first day here. Great place to be stuck and even better excuse to force yourself to unpack. 😊

So Novi is where we call home now. I miss Redford but after living here a few days I'm not sure how we ever fit in that house. I suppose that's why our entire basement turned into storage! We're not all unpacked, painted, or decorated but I do have a few pictures.

Damon & Wayne closing.

 

D & our awesome friend Red taking the first load out at 5:00 am.

Goodbye Club N!

Pulling out with my last load thinking "this is it!"

 

In H's playroom: set up & waiting or his arrival!

Checking out the new digs.

When all the work was done, bartender Diddy came to the rescue!

Our new fireplace. <3

B checking out her new back yard.

 

New home, after we got snowed in and stuck for 2 days!

Sunrise on the cul-de-sac.

I have a real China cabinet!!! My Kate Spade looks good <3

B & H playing "I'm gonna get you!"

H on the "Shaq Ottoman"

How he feels about the move.

And there you have it. Some fun shots of our move in. When the house is all set up, I'll take glamor shots and share.